Ankle-supporter.



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l @Zvi/huwen@ a' PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

o. H. PBRRIS.

NKLE SUPPORTBR. Y APPLIOATION FILED MAR.19.1908.

PATENT oEEioE.

CHARLES E. FERRIS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

NKLE-SUEPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.v

Patented July 14, 1908.

Application sied March 19, 190s. serial No. 421,995. I

To all whom 'it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES I-I. FERRIs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ankle- Supporters, of which the following is a speciiication.

The ankle supporter of my resent invention has advantages amon ot ers as follows: First, it has a single seam ooated at the side of the foot where it is least likely to cause chaiing; second, the seam is likewise located where the supporter is exposed to least tension and wear and consequently the supporter has no tendency to give-way where it is seamed. On the other hand, the su porter is strongest where it is exposed to t e greatest tension and wear, which is at the back of the foot. Here the supporter is seamless and consequently has not only the greatest strength, but also is best adapted to prevent chafing of the back of the foot.

In the drawings which show one of the forms which my im roved ankle supporter may take, Fi ure 1 s ows in full lines a plan view of a b ank from which a supporter within my invention is adapted to be made up, also in dotted lines a similar blank showing how theV shape of the `-blanks especially adapts them to be cut out of the stock in interlocked ositions with minimum waste of material ig. 2 is a perspective view of the complete supporter; `and Fig. 3 is the same shown on a foot. 4

Describing now my invention with articular reference to the devices illustrate in the first place, the preferred material for the su porter will be leather, although of course otffer materials can be used. A blank stamped out in the form shown in Fig. 1 is folded, sewed, and crimped to form the suporter shown in Fig. 2. Thus comparing igs. 1 and 2 in connection with the following description, the blank is folded on the dotted line along which the "supporter is subsequently crimped to conform the back of the supporter to the curve of the back of the ankle or foot. The line divides the blank into two sides, 1 and 2, located respectively at the sides of the foot. The lateral edges 3 and 4 of the blank form the front edges of the completed supporter, adapted to be laced together at the front of the ankle. Depending from the sides 1 and 2 of the blank are legs 5 and 6, one longe than the other. The end of the longer leg 6 is designed to pass under the arch of the foot and to have its free-end overlap the free end of the shorter leg 5 at the side of the foot, said overlapped extremities being sewed together or otherwise suitably united.

Fig. 3 shows the supporter in its preferred,

form in Jplace on a foot, and it will be noted that pre bottom of the arch of the foot and the protuberance of the ankle bone on the outside of the foot. Thus preferably the sup orters are made in rights and lefts, the rig t supporter having its seam at the outside of the right-foot and the left supporter having its seam at the outside of the left-foot. The reason for preferably locating the seams at the outside of the foot is that here the foot is naturally somewhat hollower than on its inside. However the seams can be located to come at the inside of the foot, because here too the foot is naturally Well-adapted to receive the thickened part or seam without chalin i As zilready intimated, the back of the supporter is crimped by any preferred means to shape the leather along the line :1cto correspond with the curve of the back of the ankle and the upper heel.

To complete the supporter, combined ornamental and strengthening strips of leather 7 may be sewed to the sides of the blank along their front edges 3 and 4. These strips have eyelet holes through which the lace 8 passes to secure the supporter together at the front of the ankle.- A tongue 9 of any usual sort may be rovided.

An additional a vantage of my present supporter relates to its manufacture, in that the shape of the blanks from which the suporter is adapted to be made 1permits the blanks to be cut out of the stocrwith minimum waste of material as indicated in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An ankle supporter comprising a strip of material adapted to encircle the ankle with its free ends at the front, said strip at its sides having integrally depending legs, one short and the other long, said legs being secured together at their ends to form a connected loop adapted to be received under the arch of the foot with the joint between the legs located at the side of the foot below the ankle-bone. i

2. An ankle supporter comprising a strip erably the seam comes between the of material adapted to encircle the ankle With In Witness Wl1eieof,Iliave signed my naine its free ends laced at the iront7 and a eonto the foregoing speeiiiefition in the presence 10 neeting1 loop ldapteol to be received1 under of two subscribing Witnesses. i the arci of t e foot and erinanent y eon 1 5 neeting the sides of thi? ankle-encircling CHARLES H llERRIb' strip, said ankle-strip and said connecting Witnesses: loop being seemed together at the side of the T. W. SPRINGMEYER, foot below the ankle-bone. Jos. F. OBRIEN, 

